16 best over-ear headphones for sound quality, noise-cancelling and affordability

Headphone prices can be astronomical. If you’re after a high-quality pair of mid-range cans, it can sometimes feel as though the only options are either at the affordable end of the spectrum or are far too expensive. Sennheiser's Accentum Plus are made to bridge this gap. They offer premium performance and versatility, for under £200. At this price, they beat all the competition, and we’d say they’re better than many models that go for around £250.

These brilliant over-ears give you adaptive noise-cancelling, a classy and understated style, lovely balanced audio quality, more battery life than you need, loads of extra app-based features, on-earcup touch controls, wired audio via the 3.5mm jack and included cable and a welcome travel-ready carrying case. We’re highly impressed. There are only minor downsides – the earcups are a little smaller than some and could feel tight on your head, and more expensive pairs can cancel more noise and may sound even better – but we don’t consider them dealbreakers.

The noise-cancelling on offer here is fantastic at bringing the sounds of commuter trains and office chatter down to a reasonable level – they’ll work well for plane trips and make the din of our local coffee shop bearable. They’re comfortable to wear for hours on end, they sound fantastic, they last for ages and work for wired playback if you ever do run the battery down.

For anyone with an absolute limit of £200 to spend on headphones, we’d also consider the lower-cost Sennheiser Accentum, which has most of the features of the newer model but lacks touch control, the carrying case, and the upgraded noise-cancelling of the Plus. We’d also recommend the brilliant Final UX3000, the Soundcore Space Q45 and the 1More SonoFlow at this budget.

There’s nothing we’ve tried that cancels as much noise as the Bose QuietComfort Ultra headphones. They don’t only eliminate low-frequency noise like the rumble of a train, but they also silence high-frequency sounds including coffee shop chatter and the unpredictable din of fellow shoppers in the supermarket.

The Ultras are also fantastic for comfort (it’s in the name) and we can happily wear them for hours on end. The app control works well, sound quality is excellent (although the “immersive” mode is a little hit-and-miss), they’re sturdy, fold up into a compact travel case and have reliable button controls with a touch surface on the right side for volume. The only real downside is the high price.

We’d also look at the standard Bose QuietComfort headphones for the brand’s high-end noise-cancelling at a lower price, and the Sony WH-1000XM5, Sony WH-1000XM4 and the Sennheiser Momentum 4 are worth keeping in mind too.

The Soundcore Q20i over-ears prove that it’s possible to get a quality set on a tight budget. For under £50, they deliver effective noise elimination, a battery of up to 60 hours (with ANC off) and speedy charging – just five minutes of power gives you up to four hours of juice.

The build quality lacks the premium feel of some rivals, but we can’t argue with that price. On test, we found them comfortable to wear and appreciated how much quality is on offer for this low price, including reliable sound, excellent battery and a folding design. Just note that they don’t come with a case or pouch at all, and aim to get the Q20i over the Q20. It has app support, a custom equaliser, and better USB-C charging for the same cost.

While there aren't many alternatives at this price point, if you don’t mind them being wired and without ANC, then we recommend the Audio-Technica M20x. You can pay an extra £20 to buy the wireless model, too. Another of our top budget over-ears is the 1MORE SonoFlow, which has a premium-looking design and a top battery life of up to 70 hours (with ANC off) for under £100.

The latest cans from British brand Bowers & Wilkins are astonishing headphones. The Px7 S3 are our top pick if you’re after a premium experience in three key areas: sound quality, comfort and style.

They’re slimmer and lighter than the Px7 S2 that they replace, and are available in three sleek colourways: white, black and blue. They don’t only look elegant, though – they’re also precision-designed for extended listening with their pillowy soft earcups and headband. We wore them all afternoon and didn't tire of them.

The listening experience is exceptional, too. It’s easily the best in its price tier, and better than several more expensive rivals. They’re rich, detailed, well-balanced, distortion-free and incredibly immersive, with a wide soundstage. You'll be able to pinpoint subtleties you couldn’t previously hear in your favourite songs.

Acoustically, these even improve on the Bowers & Wilkins flagship, the already excellent Px8. They offer such clear audio that we can happily use them all day long. And the upgrade to noise cancelling helps; they’re significantly better than their predecessors and deliver powerful ANC.

Are there any downsides? A handful. The ear detection tech is so temperamental that we’d turn it off entirely. There aren’t loads of features in the app that you wouldn't find on rivals, too, and that £399 price tag is steep. They’re also likely to be beaten by a more expensive Px8 S2, due out later this year. However, if those rather minor nitpicks don’t put you off, these are the best premium over-ears we’ve tried.

The Sonos Ace headphones are easily among the best we’ve tried for comfort and softness, with a considered design prioritising matte plastic, soft memory foam cushions and functional metal accents (with a hidden hinge that won’t snag on your hair). The look is sleek and stylish, but once they’re on your head, you might forget they’re there. That’s because they’re lighter than many other premium offerings at 312g, competing with heavier and pricier models from Apple, Bowers & Wilkins and Bang & Olufsen.

That’s not to say that the Ace isn’t an expensive competitor. At £449, these are far from a budget pair, but they’re priced to rival other high-end ANC headphones. When it comes to sound, they deliver a detailed and engaging quality, and they impressed us with their instrumental separation and wide soundstage. We find them great for a range of genres, providing clear vocals and a balanced sound.

The noise-cancelling feature is also powerful for reducing loud rumbles and background office conversations. It doesn’t beat the Bose QuietComfort Ultra, but it comes close. The “Aware” mode for enhancing outside sounds is almost as good as transparency on Apple’s AirPods Max.

You’ll also find the battery life lasts for 30 hours and the physical controls for playback, pairing, noise control and volume adjustment are all intuitive. They support Bluetooth multipoint, allowing connection with two devices at once, too.

For dedicated Sonos users, there’s a single button press to “swap” audio over from a compatible soundbar to the headphones – we can see this coming in handy if you want to keep watching TV without disturbing everyone else at home!

The Bose QuietComfort Headphones tick both boxes we look for in a pair of travel-friendly headphones: portability and comfort. They fold down so they’ll easily fit inside small bags, and the faux leather on the ear cups is soft and doesn’t cause irritation, even after a few hours of having them on your head.

They go into a super compact travel case and deliver enough battery to get you through multiple flights and train journeys. The noise-cancellation is class-leading too, silencing all the deep rumbles and chattering voices you might encounter when making your way through an airport or when finding some peace at a coffee shop.

While the design is the same as the older QC35 and QC45 headphones (so it has been around for several years now), not all of us need eye-catching over-ears and it’s a reliable design with proper clicky buttons that won't get too confusing. We always appreciate having physical buttons to switch modes or change the volume over touch or gesture controls that can be tricky to learn and imprecise. Compared to some of the best options, we should note that the 24-hour battery life is on the lower side, but it’s enough for a few days of use at a time.

We should flag that the 1MORE SonoFlow also fold down for easy transportation in a backpack or bag, and they’re more affordable than these. The Sony WH-1000XM4s are ideal for noisier journeys like trains and planes as they have excellent noise-cancelling too.

Soundcore has focused on the essentials by making these over-ears comfortable, portable and great at noise-cancelling. The Space One Pro are a well-rounded option for those who want excellent ANC and a folding design without a hefty price tag. Their clever hinge makes them travel-friendly, fitting easily into bags, though they lack a protective hard case. We like their soft cushioned ear cups and adjustable headband, and we've found them comfortable to wear all day long, something that's crucial if you're using them for trips or at the office.

On test, the advanced noise-cancelling capabilities impressed us in many different environments, and they've got a highly capable transparency mode for ambient awareness too. Sound-wise, these headphones emphasise bass and treble for a lively, energetic sound that’s well-suited to several genres including pop and rock, although audiophiles will find them a bit unbalanced. However, the full-featured companion app is great for customising the sound, and we found the “HearID” feature (that tunes the audio to your hearing preferences) works well.

Battery life is another strength — they offer up to 40 hours with ANC on — which is more than enough for most trips. Overall, they're great value for the features and performance they deliver. While they're priced at £149.99, they can be picked up for less during sales. Sure, they may lack a few premium touches, such as a wear sensor or protective case, but the Space One Pro is a top choice for ANC, portability and comfort. When we're low on space in our bag, this is the pair we'd reach for.

Committed Apple fans will absolutely love the high-end AirPods Max. The brand’s over-ear headphones feature a seriously luxe design with aluminium ear cups, a headband made with a stainless steel frame and knit mesh, removable memory foam padded cushions and smooth telescoping headband arms. They look and feel the part, and they come in a great range of colours so they’ll feel your own.

When it comes to downsides, it’s worth saying that 385g is a bit heavy, but they’re not the heaviest we’ve tried (that honour goes to the 451g Dyson OnTrac) and they do a good job of distributing that weight. We find there are some usability quirks, like how these don’t have an on/off button and instead go into a low power state when in their carry case. They’re also super pricey, so you need to be sure they’re worth the investment.

As you’ll be able to tell from our AirPods Max review, though, there aren’t many drawbacks once they’re on your head and you’re listening to music. These deliver absolutely terrific sound quality that's rich and balanced. They’ve got impressive “Spatial Audio” that enhances tracks and films mixed for Dolby Atmos.

Their noise-cancelling and transparency modes are some of the absolute best you’ll find, and their controls are intuitive. They’re also loaded with perks for Apple users, like audio sharing, device switching, Find My support and notification announcements. Essentially, if they’re within your budget and you’re mainly listening on an iPhone, iPad or MacBook, they’re a terrific – albeit pricey – pair of over-ears.

Some over-ear headphones can look functional and unexciting. We’d recommend looking at these best on-ear headphones if you’re a music lover who doesn’t want to compromise on style. The upgraded Marshall V headphones don’t only look great, they’re also lightweight, foldable and have a comfortable fit you can wear for hours and hours on end.

The big difference is that they’re more breathable, as they sit on top of your ears, rather than fully encompassing them. One downside to this style is that you won’t get any noise-cancelling, but we also don’t tend to find that the music “leaks” out to your surroundings when played at a normal volume. It will be audible to those around you if you play it on high volume, though. The lack of noise-cancelling also means the battery life is enormous, with these promising a 100-hour listening time that’s unheard of in ANC models.

They also have an intuitive metal control knob, and the latest version adds a dedicated custom button that we set to launch us straight back into our Spotify playlists. While we wouldn’t pick these for a flight or anywhere you need to silence external noise, they’re easily the best headphones for a lightweight on-ear approach. They’re not only soft and pleasant to wear but sound terrific with a well-rounded audio reproduction that works well whatever genre of music you’re playing.

You’ll need strong active noise cancellation (ANC) if you want to silence background noises on planes and trains – including rumbles, hums and light conversations – and just focus on your music. The Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones have some of the best ANC around, easily reducing traffic sounds, coffee shop chatter and typing on a mechanical keyboard during our hands-on tests.

The app could be a bit more user-friendly but the audio quality is undeniable, and we like the speak-to-chat feature that launches the ambient mode if it senses you talking, before turning your tunes back on when you’re done.

Remember, if you don’t mind a slightly older design, you can save some money by picking up their popular predecessor, the Sony WH-1000XM4, for under £230. You’re getting the same battery life and these ones fold down for travel, too. The Space Q45s are ideal if you’re on a budget, and the Bose QuietComfort QC45 are another top rival for ANC with a more comfortable build and foldable earcups. We also recommend the Soundcore Q20i for solid ANC at under £50.

It’s possible to spend hundreds – or even thousands – of pounds on high-end over-ear headphones. If top-quality materials and bona fide hi-fi audio are on your list of must-haves, we think the Px8 cans from Bowers & Wilkins represent one of the best examples of a luxe listening experience that’s also the pinnacle of comfort.

We find the sound quality consistently excellent and enjoy the app, which lets you tailor the ANC to your liking, as well as giving direct access to streaming services and integrations with other B&W audio equipment.

There are more expensive options out there from brands like Bang & Olufsen, Focal and Mark Levinson, but we’ve tried them all, and few combine audio quality and a luxury build as effectively as these.

There are other high-end headphones we can also vouch for. For a slightly more “affordable” price of £399, you can pick up the Bowers & Wilkins PX7 S3 , which doesn't feature the same materials as the Px8, but now has upgraded sound quality and noise-cancelling tech.

The Apple AirPods Max are a stylish option for iOS users. The Focal Bathys give you top sound with comfortable cans, while the Mark Levinson No. 5909 (the most expensive of the bunch) has some of the best audio we’ve experienced.

If you’re tired of headphones that all look a bit “samey”, we think the Marshall Monitor III ANC headphones are an excellent choice. They deliver great sound and have a rock-inspired look that makes them stand out from the crowd, a lot like the on-ear Marshall headphones we also love.

With the Monitor III, you’ve got that classic and rugged aesthetic with the vintage Marshall logo and a tactile brass control knob that’s satisfying to use. Now, though, they also have a customisable “M” button that we set to “Spotify Tap” so we can jump straight back into our playlists.

The Monitor III ANC delivers an immersive listening experience and features Marshall’s spatial audio tech, which can be adjusted in the app to create a broader soundstage. It works well for making everything sound more expansive, but it isn't quite the same thing as head-tracked spatial audio on the likes of the Bose QuietComfort Ultra or Apple AirPods Max. However, while we like the sound performance overall, we’re not sure they do a lot to stand out in a highly competitive market — some models cost less and deliver more engaging and punchy audio quality.

We like a lot about the headphones, although they don’t quite have the build quality of £299 cans, and we’re not that impressed by the lack of padding on the headband. Having said that, the ear cups are still comfortable, the ANC is effective and it’s great that they last up to 70 hours of battery life on a single charge, though. If you’re prioritising style, they’re a good pick, but we’d probably wait until they’re on offer before buying.

Finding a pair of headphones that excels in every area, whether for work, travel, or home listening, is no easy task. But these come impressively close, making them our top pick for versatility.

On test for our Beyerdynamic Aventho 300 review, these wireless over-ear cans delivered fantastic sound quality, borrowing studio-grade drivers from Beyerdynamic’s pro audio lineup. They offer a customisable listening experience through the companion app, allowing you to fine-tune the sound and even enable Dolby Atmos for immersive 3D audio in films and TV shows.

Their active noise cancellation isn’t the strongest out there, but it does a solid job of reducing background noise, whether that’s a busy office or the rumble of a train. Meanwhile, a massive 50-hour battery life means you can travel without having to worry about constant recharging.

Comfort-wise, they strike a nice balance, with plush ear cushions and a foldable design for portability. The included accessories – a hard case, soft pouch, and both USB-C and 3.5mm cables – make them even more practical.

At £359, they’re an investment, but one that pays off if you're after premium audio, flexibility, and long-lasting battery life. If noise cancellation is your top priority, the Bose QuietComfort Ultra or Sony WH-1000XM5 might be better. But for a mix of sound quality, comfort, and adaptability, the Aventho 300 is a great choice.

The Momentum 4s have been one of our go-to pairs of over-ear headphones for months when working from our home office, and that’s largely because of their massive reserve of battery power. These give you up to 60 hours of life, and that’s with the noise cancellation enabled.

The ear cups are chunky but comfortable and we like that the cans and the band both sit flush so they don’t look big on your head. The audio quality is excellent – with a nice balance between clarity and bass – and the touch controls are responsive.

If you want a more affordable option for battery life, Soundcore models are generally all excellent for battery, usually lasting for dozens of hours between charges. The Q30s give you 40 hours with ANC on, rising to a huge 60 hours with it switched off. The 1MORE SonoFlow give you even more power – you can get up to 70 hours with the ANC switched off.

Dali, which quite literally stands for “Danish Audiophile Loudspeaker Industries”, is known for its expensive speaker systems. Accordingly, its IO-8 noise-cancelling headphones are marketed as “true hi-fi speakers for your head” and they more than live up to this claim. They have some of the best detail retrieval, instrumental dynamism and bass texture in a pair of wireless over-ears. For sound quality alone, they’re the most impressive pair we’ve heard.

The design is also stylish without being over-the-top, with simple circular ear cups, a great swivel to the hinges and lots of comfortable cushioning. They’re controlled with a simple set of buttons on the right earcup, and you can press one of these to enter a “Bass” mode for an extra boost to the low notes. We’d stick to the cleaner and richer “Hi-Fi” setting, but the sound is engaging either way.

A 35-hour battery life (with noise-cancelling turned on) is competitive, and we like that there’s a voice prompt telling you how much is left each time you turn them on. They’re not too heavy at 325g, and we’ve found them comfy to wear all day at the office. The noise-cancelling mode is also solid without being class-leading. It silences background sounds effectively, and is good at dealing with the rumbly noise of our commuter train.

We love that it’s also possible to use these in wired mode, either via the 3.5mm connector or a USB-C cable. Being able to use these when the battery is off (with the included 3.5mm cord) is a feature we’d love to see on more headphones. Other than the high price, the main notable downside here is that these don’t have an app for tweaking settings. But, if we’re honest, we didn’t miss it and found we could control everything we needed to from the cans themselves.

If you’re buying a pair of headphones for a gamer, they’ll have a few key features high on their list of priorities. The first would be “low latency”, as typical Bluetooth headphones have more lag than gamers can bear. With the included base station, the Arctis Nova Pro can connect to multiple consoles at once and switch between 2.4GHz or Bluetooth connectivity, with the 2.4GHz option delivering the lowest possible latency for competitive gamers.

Another essential feature for a gamer is a long battery life, something SteelSeries has optimised with a swappable battery system. When running low, you’d simply switch to a fresh battery, pop the other one in the base station to recharge, and keep playing. With 22 hours per battery, that’s a total of 44 hours of playing time. But, if there’s always a topped-up battery in the base station, the gaming fan in your life won’t ever run out of juice.

SteelSeries has also included noise-cancellation and these cans deliver impressive spatial gaming audio. They’re good for music, but definitely designed with gameplay in mind. The ability to connect multiple devices to the base station at once means that they’ll be a good fit for gamers with an Xbox Series X or S, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Mac or PC.

They’ve also got a handy built-in microphone, customisable sound presets and a comfortable design for hours or wear. While we’ve tried out better headphones for noise-cancelling, more musical sound quality, control and transparency modes, we’re yet to see another pair that has this many easy-to-use features tailored for gamers.